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. Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. CONDELL.

, FOLDING BED.

Paient ed Mar. 13,-1888.-

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J. GONDELL' FOLDING BED.

No. 379,449. Patented Mar. 13, 1888.

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NITED STATES PATENT riucn.

JOHN CONDELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FOLDING BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 379,449, dated March13, 1888.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN GoNDELL, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FoldingBedsteads; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full andexact description thereof, reference being-had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a partof this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is an elevation inperspectiveof my improved folding bed; Fig. 2, a side elevation thereofwith the head-case in section; Fig. 3, a cross-section in line a; 00 ofFig. 2, illustrating the arrangement of the counterbalancingsprings; andFig. 4, a sectional view of one of the spiral springs enlarged,illustrating its attachment to the bed-bottom.

Similar letters indicate like parts in all of the figures.

The object of myinvention is to simplify the construction of foldingbedsteads and increase the convenience and comfort thereof.

It consists in the combination ofdevices,hereinafter fully described, tooperate as set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, A A represent the side hoards of thehead-case and support for the bedstead, which is constructed, as iscustomary, with an enlarged base, B. The back D of the headrase may becomposed of two doors, a a, hinged to open centrally.

The bed bot-tom is constructed ofside boards, E E, which are. u nited athead and foot, as usual, by transverse boards and bars,and it isfinished with a closed bottom, F, of thin boards, fitted between theside boards to support the mattress and bedding. This bed-bottom ispivoted to the head-case by means of cars G, (see Fig. 2,) secured toeach side board, E, to project be yond the lower edge thereof at a pointremoved from the inner or head end of said sideboard. The distance fromthe end of each side board to its ear G is at least equal to the widthof the board, so that when the bed-bottom is turned upon said ears as apivotal axis the center of gravity shall be carried within and beyondsaid axis as the bed-bottom approaches and attains a vertical position.(See dotted lines, Fig. 2.) These ears are'pivoted to offsets H H oneach side of the base of the head-case by means of pivot-pins b b,secured to said offsets, or by a pivotal rod extending from the one tothe other, and the bed-bottom is thereby neatly hinged to said head-caseat a suitable height above the floor.

To facilitate the movement of the bed-bottom as it is swung up and downupon its pivotal axis, one or more coiled springs, I, (see Figs. 2'and3,) are fitted under said axis within the head-case, and an arm, L,projecting radially from each spring, is connected by a cord or strap,J, with a folding head-board, K, which is hinged to the fixed headboardof the bedbottom to form an extension thereof, and in manner to be freeto fold forward when the bed-bottom is swung up and to open out andbecome fixed when it is swung down. Each spring I is so adjusted as thatwhen, by the lowering of the bed-bottom, the radial springarm L is drawnup the spring is thereby coiled and compressed and brought undertension, so that its resiliency is brought into play primarily toactuate the head-board, and furthermore to facilitate the lifting of thebed to fold it up into the case. As the bed-bottom approaches a verticalposition the actionof the spring ceases.

Where two independent coiled springs are used, their radial arms L L arecoupled by a link, U, (see Fig. 3,) which is adapted to be held and tobe moved longitudinally upon the radial arms by means of nuts V V, whichare run upon said arms, the arms being threaded to receive them. By thismeans the leverage upon the springs may be adjusted at pleasure bymoving the link to and from the coils. lVheu the springs lose theiroriginal power, the link may be placed nearer the coils, so that theywill operate with greater force.

Where but a single spring is used, the radial arms may be made in onecontinuous piece in the form of a loop uniting the two opposite coils ofthe one spring, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The contact ofthe folding head-board K with the back of the head-case asthe bed-bottom is folded up serves to .fold said head-board over, asshown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The outer end of the bed-bottom is provided with folding legs lWI M,hinged to the outer face of the foot-board N at its lower edge, so as tofold in under the side boards, and the crosspiece, which connects thelegs above the hinged connections thereof, bears against the footboardwhen thelegs are extended and are parallel therewith, and affords them asupport in this position, as shown in positive lines, Figs. 1 and 2. Thefoot-board N is also provided with an extension, N, hinged to the upperedge thereof, to fold inward and overlap the bed-bottom, and therebyconfine and hold the mattress and bed-clothing in place thereon when thebed-bottom is turned up. The folding foot-board N and the folding legs MM are both firmly braced when opened out, and are locked when folded inby means of a curved link, P, pivoted to the outer edges of the one andthe other on each side of the bed-bottom, in front of the axes of thehinges when the legs and head-board are opened out, as shown in Figs. 1and 2, said link P being pivoted to the I edge of the footboard a shortdistance above as well as in front of its hinged connection and to theedge of the leg M close to its hinge and in front thereof. As a resultof this peculiar pivotal connection of the link with the hingedfoot-board and legs, when the two are opened and straightened outthe'legs are locked by the link P and cannot be moved until thefoot-piece N is folded in, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and whenboth the legs and foot-boardarefolded in the foot-board is locked, sothat it cannot be moved until the legs are opened out.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, with the bed-bottom frame,of a foot-board hinged thereto at its top, a pair of connected legshinged thereto at the bottom, and a link connecting the two in front ofthe axes of the hinges when the same are opened, substantially in themanner and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combination, in a folding bedstead, with its head-case and thebottom frame hinged thereto, of a head-board hinged to the frame, acoiled spring fitted within the case, a radial arm projecting from saidspring, and a strap connecting the arm with the folding headboard toactuate the latter, substantially in the manner and for the purposeherein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN CONDELL. Witnesses:

A. N. J ESBERA, M. E. FINLEY.

